54 LIFE OF ELIE METCHNIKOFF 



Keferstein. Keferstein straightway gave him a valu- 

 able lizard specimen to anatomise. Elie was not 

 good at technique, on account of his nervous tem- 

 perament ; he used occasionally to lose his patience 

 and his temper, to that point that he flung his material 

 across the room. It happened so on this occasion ; 

 having completely wasted the valuable lizard, he con- 

 ceived a still greater horror of technique and soon left 

 Professor Keferstein for Henle, the celebrated anatom- 

 ist. He worked with him for a short time at the 

 histology of frogs' kidneys, a subject chosen by the 

 Professor. Soon the young man realised that he was 

 no longer capable of submitting to school discipline 

 and resumed his independent researches. When he 

 had to do with those problems which absorbed him 

 he was always able to conquer his aversion for tech- 

 nique and to do what was required. He studied the 

 embryology of the green-fly from the genealogical point 

 of view, and went to Munich for the summer term 

 in order to work with the celebrated zoologist von 

 Siebold, a typical and venerable old German scientist. 

 The latter was too old already to be troubled with 

 pupils, and Elie studied his insect embryology indepen- 

 dently ; however, he visited the old man assiduously, 

 and they had long scientific conversations. Their 

 relations were always extremely cordial, and they 

 even kept up a regular correspondence for many years. 

 During his stay in Germany, music was the young 

 man's only recreation. He did not play any instru- 

 ment ; his parents, discouraged by the failure of their 

 elder children, had not had him taught, and besides, 

 his precocious vocation would have left him no time. 

 Yet he certainly had a natural talent for music, which 

 he passionately loved. He could only whistle, but 



